43. The Wind and the Leaves

The lesson, step by step

1. Warm up

   Have your child reread a few lines of Lesson XLII, for example:

   The twig told it to the branch, and the branch told it to the tree.

   Praise smooth reading and help with any word that sticks.

2. New words

   Point to the new words at the top of the lesson:

   gold lambs fondly cricket whirling fields leaves fleecy farewell coverlet glade vale dream content fluttering

   Say each word and have your child say it after you. Clap the parts of long words. Then point to words in any order and let your child read them.

3. Read it aloud

   Look at the page together first. Then your child reads the poem aloud, a line at a time. Pause a little at the end of each line.

   Here are a few lines from it:

   "Come, little leaves," said the wind one day.

   "Come o'er the meadows with me, and play;

   Read it a second time, more smoothly.

4. Talk about it

   SayWhat does the wind ask the leaves to do?

   SayTo whom do the leaves say farewell?

   SayWhere do the leaves rest at the end?

   SayListen for rhymes: day and play, gold and cold. Can you find more?

   Let your child look back at the page to find answers.

5. Tell it back

   Close the book.

   SayTell me what happened to the leaves when the wind called.

   Let your child talk without stopping them. Afterward, help with anything left out by asking "What happened next?"

6. Copywork

   Write this line from the lesson for your child to copy, or let them copy it straight from the book:

   Summer is gone, and the days grow cold.

   Check capital letters, commas and the mark at the end.

7. Spelling

   Say each word, use it in a short sentence, and have your child spell it aloud, then write it: gold, fields, leaves, dream.

   Check together and fix any mistakes right away.